Three vibrant sections depict urban scenes: a train station, a roundabout, and a busy intersection.

Projects

The National Center for Sustainable Transportation has funded a variety of research grants, organized by our three research themes (Infrastructure Provision; Travel Demand; and Vehicle Technology), and by project type (applied research projects, white papers / research synthesis, seed grants, translational projects, dissertation grants, and graduate student-led research). 

View Projects Awarded Prior to 2025

Rural Vehicle Markets and Consumer Affordability

  • Principal Investigator Dana Rowangould, Ph.D.
  • University of Vermont
This project uses detailed vehicle data and vehicle dealership listings in Colorado, Maine, and Vermont to evaluate the relationship between vehicle options, distances people travel to purchase a vehicle, and the price paid for the vehicle in both urban and rural contexts.
Project Status
In Progress

New Travel Insights from Cell Phone GPS Data

  • Principal Investigator John Krumm, Ph.D.
  • University of Southern California
This project proposes to build an open-source software application programming interface that will produce new travel insights from cell phone GPS data.
Project Status
In Progress

Continuous approximation models for rural transit network design

  • Principal Investigator John Carlsson
  • University of Southern California
The purpose of this project is to discover new continuous approximation models for public transit network design, with a specific focus on rural areas where access to transit and coverage present significant challenges.
Project Status
In Progress

Sensor-informed Generative Digital Twin: High-fidelity Simulation for Sustainable Transportation and Policy Validation

  • Principal Investigator Hang Qiu, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Riverside
This project will develop a sensor-informed generative digital twin that integrates real-world data from the Riverside Innovation Corridor’s sensor network. By continuously integrating real-time sensory inputs, the platform can be used to create high-fidelity scenarios and simulate rare and challenging transportation dynamics.
Project Status
In Progress

Optimizing External Human-Machine Interfaces (eHMIs) Designs in Autonomous Vehicles to Improve Communication with Drivers and Bicyclists

  • Principal Investigator Fengxiang Qiao, Ph.D.
  • Texas Southern University
This project will develop, assess, and optimize the concept of External Human-Machine Interfaces, which enable intuitive communication between autonomous vehicles and other road users, to foster positive perceptions, build trust, and ensure safe interactions in mixed traffic scenarios.
Project Status
In Progress

Foundations in Energy Systems for Transportation Certificate

  • Principal Investigator Tyler Reeb, Ph.D.
  • California State University Long Beach
This project will develop a certificate program that focuses on educating participants on foundational knowledge in traditional and energy energy systems, with the program being informed by an assessment of workforce needs related to freight and transit sectors and related energy systems.
Project Status
In Progress

Reducing empty miles of shared mobility on highway corridors

  • Principal Investigator Michael Zhang, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
This project will develop a traffic assignment model to allocate vehicular trips to corridor networks linking suburban and rural communities, in order to assess the impact of shared mobility on highway traffic and reduce empty vehicle mileage.
Project Status
In Progress

Influence of Traffic Noise and Light on Wildlife Movement Near Highways

  • Principal Investigator Fraser Shilling, Ph.D.
  • University of California, Davis
The research team will statistically model the effect of traffic noise and light from traffic on occurrence of mountain lions, mule deer, and Peninsular bighorn sheep and movements of GPS-collared individuals as they approach highways.
Project Status
In Progress